Sunday, April 3, 2011

Lowcountry Summer

I am convinced that in a previous life I lived in the South and was definitely a lady. Obviously... you wouldn't suspect that now, but it's true. So anytime I get to read a book about the South or just southern culture I do because I always identify with it and usually enjoy it. Such is the case with this book.

Lowcountry Summer by Dorothea Benton FrankOn the occasion of her 46th birthday, Caroline Wimbley Levine is concerned about filling the large shoes of her late, force-of-nature mother, Miss Lavinia, the former Queen of Tall Pines Plantation. Still, Caroline loves a challenge- and she simply will not be fazed by the myriad family catastrophes surrounding her. She'll deal with brother Trip's tricky romantic entanglements, son Eric and his mysterious girlfriend, and go toe-to-toe with alcoholic Frances Mae and her four hellcats without batting an eye, becoming more like Miss Lavinia every day...which is not an entirely good thing.

This is a great story that really shows you the dynamics of a typical southern family who has class and the taste to boot. I did enjoy the story as a whole but in all honesty? Caroline comes off as a selfish bitch really. She's very much one of those dominating personalities that has to know EVERYTHING and has an opinion on EVERYTHING and if you are doing something she doesn't like or agree with- you will know it. She doesn't seem like the type of person who can genuinely be happy for a person if they are going about it in a way she didn't facilitate that.

A good example of that is when her son Eric has a new girlfriend. Here's a tip, parents. If you son/daughter is too nervous/anxious/scared to tell you that they are dating or who they are dating.... it's because they are afraid of your reaction and how you will treat this other person. Not a good thing, parents. You can't control everything and by all accounts, Eric seems like a well raised kid in the story, so in theory... she should have nothing to really worry about.

Anyways. I did enjoy the book, I didn't really like the ending with Trip, but other than that- it was a good read. I did feel like I couldn't really put it down for too long because the story was ever changing, there was always something new happening or more of the story developing. So in all- good read. :)

As someone who now lives in the south, it's not all quite what this book makes it out to be. ;) But I get what you're saying. I almost felt like this was old=school-south. If that makes sense. Maybe I need to add that to my review! :>

I like to read, yall.

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